Two out of three buyers apparently opt for the $3000 Luxury Pack which includes:

Front Parking Distance Warning

Front passenger seat cushion extension

LED courtesy and puddle lights

12-way Power front seats

Power folding exterior mirrors

Electro-chromatic interior mirror

Rain sensing wipers

Heated front seats/steering wheel

Solar control windscreen glass

Luggage net

Driver’s seat memory system

Smart key and push button start

Sport front seats with suede inserts and leather bolsters

What’s it go like?

It’s 12cm longer and 21mm lower than the i30 N hatch, but is powered by the same 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, with drive to the front wheels via a 6-speed manual tranny — and electro-mechanical limited-slip diff.

The four-cylinder engine produces 202kW of power at 6000rpm, and 353Nm of torque from 1450 to 4700rpm, with 378Nm of torque available for 18 seconds through turbocharger overboost.

It all adds up to a 0 to 100km/h time of 6.1 seconds and electronically limited maximum speed of 250km/h.

The Fastback is a better looker than the hatch, especially finished in N only Performance Blue — and has a bigger boot.

Needless to say it is an exciting car to drive, whether it’s going down the road to the shops or howling from corner to corner along a twisty mountain road.

It’s right up there with the GTI, WRX, Type-R and Renault Megane RS, and we might point out of this group the WRX is the only one that’s all-wheel drive.

Surprisingly, it is the easiest and most comfortable to drive too and this fact should not be overlooked when it comes to the decision-making process.

The Fastback delivers extremely high levels of performance in all of the key areas — power, brakes, steering and handling — even ride comfort is streets ahead.

Depending on what drive mode is selected, there’s a real bark from the exhaust on throttle overun.

Reading the fine print, however, it’s artificially enhanced.

Launch control is part of the deal. With first gear selected and the clutch and accelerator fully depressed, the system will hold engine revs between 3600 and 4900rpm for up to five seconds.

Release the clutch and the system manages engine torque, speed and turbo boost to deliver maximum torque to the road, and maximum standing-start acceleration.

The bad news is that you have to wait three minutes between launches for the powertrain components cool off.

Geeks will love the race computer that allows you to customise just about every facet of the drive experience.

But take heart because all you really need to do is select N mode, hold on tight and enjoy the best bang for your buck money can buy at the moment.

Don’t get caught up in pointless discussions about whether the brakes are up to it or not — just enjoy the hell out of the car.

There’s no turbo lag, power delivery is extremely smooth and linear, gear changes are a snap, the steering is pin-sharp, there’s plenty of bite from the brakes and plenty of mid-corner grip from the Pirellis.

Rev matching blips the throttle automatically, ensuring you don’t muff the changes in the heat of the moment, and . . . well . . . because it sounds great.

After a few corners, you’ll love it — this car is that good.

We were however disappointed to find it misses out on many of the latest advances in car safety and is yet to receive a rating from the ANCAP organisation.

A form of auto emergency braking (AEB) is fitted, but it’s not as sophisticated as the system in the standard i30 and it doesn’t get adaptive cruise control.

The system lacks pedestrian detection and cyclist detection. There’s also no blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and the auto braking doesn’t work in reverse.

The one notable inclusion is Lane Keep Assist, but it is so annoying that like us you’ll probably end up turning it off.

We were getting 9.8 after close to 500km with a bit of hard driving thrown in.

For those that would like to hone their driving skills, it is interesting to note the 5-year, unlimited kilometre warranty extends to track use, iincluding the fitting of semi-slick tyres — but you’re only covered for untimed, non-competitive events.

What we like?

Great colour

Red hot performance

Easy peasy manual change

Incredibly smooth power delivery

Amazingly compliant ride quality

Pin sharp steering

Rabid bark from exhaust

What we don’t like?

No auto

Less sophisticated auto braking

None of the latest safety advances

No wireless charging for mobiles

The bottom line?

Subaru should be very very worried about this car.

It’s eye-catching, offers the same kind of performance for the same kind of price as a WRX and will appeal to the same kind of buyer.

Granted, it’s not all-wheel drive, but I sure as hell didn’t notice the difference pushing hard through a series of punishing mountain bends.

And how good is that steering? There’s a twin clutch version in the pipeline, but who really cares?

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Chris Riley has been a journalist for almost 40 years. He has spent half of his career as a writer, editor and production editor in newspapers, the rest of the time driving and writing about cars both in print and online. His love affair with cars began as a teenager with the purchase of an old VW Beetle, followed by another Beetle and a string of other cars on which he has wasted too much time and money. A self-confessed geek, he’s not afraid to ask the hard questions - at the risk of sounding silly.